Buffalo stadium proposal includes museum operated by the Strong

A $1.4 billion stadium complex for the Buffalo Bills being proposed on the city of Buffalo’s waterfront could include a sports museum operated by the Strong, developers said Tuesday.

The all-purpose facility, anchored by a 72,000-seat stadium, would include a convention center, hotel and retail area, developers noted. It would be situated on Buffalo’s outer harbor on land owned by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

Part of the plan would be what developers call a world-class sports museum to be created and operated by the Strong. The proposed North American Museum of Sport and Culture would include aspects close to the Strong’s mission, including hands-on experiences, historical artifacts and collections. There also would be educational programs and community outreach activities, developers said.

The Strong, one of the largest private history museums in the United States, has agreed to consider creating and operating it as part of the complex, officials said. No formal agreement is yet in place between the developers and the Strong.

“There is no museum anywhere like the one we are proposing, and it would add a dynamic new economic and cultural dimension to Buffalo and the entire international Toronto-Buffalo-Rochester region and beyond,” said Rollie Adams, president and CEO of the Strong, in a statement.

Greater Buffalo Sports & Entertainment Complex has hired the Dallas-based architectural and engineering firm HKS Sports & Entertainment to design the stadium. HKS, which has developed Yankee Stadium and Dallas Cowboys Stadium, has begun preliminary site and building design for the space, developers said.

What You're Saying

Andrew Brown at 4:07:41 PM on 10/23/2012

Let me guess, they're going to saddle the already overburdened NYS taxpayers with the bill? I say pound salt, this is a pie-in-the-sky dream, it will never (and should never) be allowed to move forward unless it's 100% privately funded. Sell shares like the Green Bay Packers... Read More >

Let me guess, they're going to saddle the already overburdened NYS taxpayers with the bill? I say pound salt, this is a pie-in-the-sky dream, it will never (and should never) be allowed to move forward unless it's 100% privately funded. Sell shares like the Green Bay Packers, and then let those owners foot the $1.4 billion price tag. < close